'Daily Show's' Jon Stewart: the president's October Surprise is that 'he has given up'

Jon Stewart still hasn’t forgiven President Barack Obama for his debate performance last week. In fact, judging by the Wednesday night “Daily Show,” his frustration has only gotten worse.

“Election watchers are on the lookout this late in the campaign season for what they refer to as an October Surprise. Well, it appears that time is upon us as evidenced by the recent presidential debate in which President Obama revealed his explosive October Surprise -- that he has given up,” Stewart said to open the political commentary section of the show.

Harsh. But it didn’t end there. Stewart also isn't a fan of Obama’a comeback strategy, which involves a one-way strategic alliance with "Sesame Street," as evidenced by Obama’s rally quip: “Thank Goodness someone is finally getting tough on Big Bird.”

“Excellent ... next day comeback. It’s that 3 a.m. ‘Oh, that’s what I should have said!’” Stewart said.

But the quip has turned into a full-fledged marketing strategy, with TV ads rushed to market ridiculing Mitt Romney for taking on "Sesame Street" instead of Wall Street, and will.i.am beginning a rally for the president by playing the theme song.

This wouldn’t be the United States of America if companies weren’t using the presidential campaign to try and move product.

Both 7-Eleven and Pizza Hut have marketing strategies tied to the election. The red-or-blue cups campaign, where customers theoretically pick the cup of the candidate they support, as opposed to the one nearest to the Big Gulp machine or not covered with Slurpee slime, has Obama with a 20-point lead.

Those are just about the only poll numbers that are trending in the president’s direction though, as Stephen Colbert noted on "The Colbert Report," the results are likely biased. It’s not like Mitt Romney can vote for himself there, given that many Mormons skip caffeine.

Pizza Hut, meanwhile, is offering 30 years worth of free food to anyone who will use next week’s Town Hall debate to ask the candidates about their pizza topping preferences. “We recognize that there are a lot of serious issues to be debated, but we also know a lot less serious -- but no less important -- ones are being discussed inside houses across the country,” its statement said.

“True. Issues like 'What the (expletive) has happened to American Democracy?'” Colbert responded.

Colbert later interviewed Naomi Wolf, author of “Vagina: A New Biography.” She’s been a guest on the show before, and the host gave credit where it was due.

“The last time you were here, five years ago, you were here for the book 'The End of America.' You were like Jeremiah on the mountain telling us we were just a couple of years away from a Totalitarian Police State that would crush all of our rights,” Colbert said. “How did you stop it?”

Wolf didn’t take the credit. Perhaps she’s saving that story for her next book.

Meanwhile on "Late Show," David Letterman reached out to Mitt Romney from afar and said that "job one," if he wants to win this election, is to come on his program "and shut me up." Letterman then took a look into Romney's future following a big loss at the polls, with a series of made-up headlines that pointed out the reason for the loss: His failure to go on Letterman's show. "Just prove I'm a dumb-a-- punk, and you've got to come here and do it now," he dared Romney.

And over on "The Tonight Show," Jay Leno looked more deeply into who was behind the airplane that flew over a speech Romney made on a farm in Ohio. The plane carried a banner that read "Crack down on Wall Street, not 'Sesame Street.'" His discovery: The two jokers flying the plane were none other than ... Ernie and Bert.